Water heater



Nov. 17, 1936. R W, PRATT Y y2,060,950

WATER HEATER Filed April 25, 1955 Patented Nov. 17, 1936 UNrrED STATESFFICE 1 eiaim'.

This invention relates to an improved water heater, and one object ofthe invention is to provide a heater wherein water will be very quicklyheated as it flows through coils disposed in a housing over burners andbe delivered from a faucet as a continuous supply of very hot water.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement ofheating coils and burners and also an improved housing enclosing theburners and the coils and so arranged and constructed that hot gasesrising from the burners for heating the coils will be retarded in theirupward movement in the housing and thus caused to more effectively actupon the coils.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thischaracter wherein the water first passes through a coil which may betermed a preheater and then through a second coil or heater after whichthe water is delivered into a pipe of smaller diameter than the pipe ortubing from which the coils are formed and thus cause the water to beconveyed to a faucet without appreciable loss of heat.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure1 is a view showing the improved heater in vertical section withportions thereof in elevation.

Figure 2 is a plan vi-ew of the heating coils.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating the difference in diameterbetween the tube or pipe from which the coils are formed and the tube orpipe leading to a faucet.

This improved water heater consists of a pair of coils I and 2 which areenclosed in a housing 3 and disposed over burners Il and 5 carried bypipes 6 leading upwardly from a main gas supply pipe l, flow of gasthrough the pipes 6 being controlled by valves 8. The coil l constitutesa preheater and the coil 2 a heater and each of these heaters consistsof a length of tubing formed of copper or other suitable metal which isbent to form a series of at coils disposed one above another, as shownclearly in Figure 1. Each heater has an inlet portion 9 leading from theinner convolution of its upper coil and an outlet portion lli extendingfrom the outer convolution of its lower coil. The inlet portion 9 of thecoil or heater l is connected with a pipe Il leading from the streetmain or other source of supply from which water is delivered underpressure and the inlet portion 9 of the coil or heater 2 is connectedwith the outlet portion I0 (c1. 12a-fast) of the coil l by a couplingl2. Other couplings i3 are provided between the coils and the walls ofthe housing 3 in order that the coils may be easily detached and removedwhen cleaning or repairs are necessary. Referring to Figures 1 and 3 itwill be seen that the outlet portion l@ of the coil 2 has its outer end,which projects from the housing, connected with a tube or pipe M throughwhich hot water iiows to a faucet at a` sink or other point at which thewater is to be used. This pipe iii is also formed of copper and is ofless diameter than the tubing from whichy the coils are formed.Therefore, the water passing through the pipe Eil will not be liable tocool quickly and will be delivered in a very hot state when the faucetis opened. The hood or housing 3 which encloses the coils and theburners and e' is formed of strong sheet metal and has a tapered top l5terminating in a neck it which extends upwardly and is received in aflue il leading to a chimney it so that products of combustion will bedelivered into the chimney and danger of carbon monoxide poisoningprevented. Supporting legs 3a depend from corners of the housing anddoors 3b are provided in the front wall so that access may be had to theinterior of the housing in order to light the burners, make repairs andclean the burners and coils when necessary.

The bottom i9 of the housing is formed with large openings 2t throughwhich air may pass in order to supply the necessary oxygen to theburners and above the coils there has been provided a partition 2iformed of sheet metal and resting upon a suitable number of brackets 22carried by the walls of the housing. Openings 23, which are smaller thanthe openings 2Q, are formed in the partition. By providing theperforated partition, hot gases and other products of combustion maypass from the burners to the upper portion of the housing and outthrough the neck i6 but upward movement thereof will be retarded and,therefore, the products of combustion, to a certain extent, will be heldin the lower portion of the housing and assist in heating the coils land 2. ft will thus be seen that when the heater is in use and theburners 4 and 5 lighted, the coils will be highly heated by the flameand products of combustion rising from the burners and as the waterpasses through the coil l and then through the coil 2, it will bepreheated in the coil l and heated as it passes through the coil 2.Additional coils and cornpanion heating burners may be provided 'betweenthe coils l and 2, if so desired, it being understood that if additionalcoils are used the housing may be made of greater length. As the pipe Ilis of appreciably greater diameter than the tubing from which the coilsare formed, the Water will be forced through the coils at high pressureand at a good rate of speed and since the pipe or tube I4 is of smallerdiameter than the tubing from which the coils are formed, the speed willbe increased as the water passes through the pipe I4. Therefore thewater will not have time to cool appreciably before flowing out of afaucet at the end of the pipe I4. It is preferred to have the coilsformed from copper tubing, one-fourth of an inch in diameter and thetube I 4 three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, the tube from whicheach coil is formed being preferably about twenty-six feet in length andthe length of the pipe or tube I4 being determined by pressure from thewater main.

Having thus described the invention', what is claimed as new is:

In a Water heater, a housing having an outlet at its top and having aperforated bottom, a perforated partition extending horizontally in saidhousing in spaced relation to the top and bottom thereof, coils in saidhousing located between the partition and bottom of the housing andspaced from Walls of the housing and also spaced from each othertransversely of the housing and interconnected, one coil constituting apreheater and extending through an end wall of the housing and having aninlet adapted for connection with a Water supply pipe and the other coilconstituting a heater and having an outlet extending through theopposite end wall Y of the housing and adapted for connection with adistributing pipe, and burners in the housing under the coils havingvalve controlled feed pipes extending through the bottom of the housingand adapted for connection with a supply pipe.

RUFUS W. PRATT.

